10692. 'And Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses' means what is discerned by those whose interest lies in things of the Church, worship, and the Word on an outward level devoid of those on the inward level. This is clear from the meaning of 'seeing' as discerning, dealt with in 2150, 3764, 4567, 4723, 5400; and from the representation of 'Aaron and the children of Israel', in this and the two previous chapters, as those interested solely in things of the Church, worship, and the Word on an outward level and not in those on an inward one.

For this representation of Aaron, see 10397.

For this representation of the children of Israel, see in the places referred to in 9380, 10396; and in addition what is said in 10430, 10453-10457, 10461-10466, 10492, 10498, 10500, 10526, 10531, 10533, 10535, 10549-10551, 10566, 10570, 10575, 10603, 10629, 10632.

10575. 'And He said, I will cause all My goodness to pass by your face' means causing everything Divine which composes heaven and the Church to pass by the external separated from the internal as it existed with Moses and the nation he headed. This is clear from the meaning of 'causing to pass by his face' as doing so to the external separated from the internal as it existed with Moses and the nation he headed, for 'your face' means the outward form that worship, the Church, and the Word take, which has an inner substance, while 'causing to pass' means making it pass by this; and from the meaning of 'all the goodness of Jehovah' as everything Divine composing heaven and the Church. The implications of all this may be recognized from what has been stated and shown above regarding Moses and the nation he headed. There it has been shown that their interest lay in external things separated from what was internal, by which is meant that when engaged in worship they performed outwardly holy acts without thought of anything internal. And since an inner holiness was nevertheless present, though it did not enter into that nation's outward holiness, it is evident what the meaning is of Jehovah's declaration that He would cause all His goodness to pass by his face. That nation did have, it is true, an internal level of mind, but this was foul, full of uncleanness as a result of self-love and love of the world. It was closed however when they engaged in worship, to prevent the defilement of what was within, belonging to heaven, the Church, and the Word. For if this had been defiled by their internal level of mind that which was external with them would not have had any connection at all with heaven when they engaged in worship and read the Word. See what has been stated and shown previously regarding these matters, in 10454-10457, 10462-10466, 10492, 10498, 10500, 10533, 10549-10551, 10570, where they have been explained fully.